


Cortana

by hopefulsilence



Category: Halo
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-02
Updated: 2012-12-02
Packaged: 2017-11-20 03:10:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/580646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hopefulsilence/pseuds/hopefulsilence
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He stands alone. She's gone, and he has to come to terms with it. No one can replace Cortana.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cortana

There he stood, confused man and soldier, staring at the blue orb known as Earth. He used to think that he was just a machine, but she told him differently. She had convinced him differently. She was gone. She would stay gone. Sure, there would be more like her. Maybe he would even get lucky and get the same model as her. AI's were replaceable like that. But there was only one of her. She kept him sane. She took care of him. She knew everything there was to know about him. He didn't know what he would do without her.

Lasky approached quietly, catching the lone Spartan off guard.

“Mind if I join you?” he asked. John wanted nothing but to be alone, but one couldn't ignore the wishes of a superior officer. The Spartan turned to face him.

“Of course not, sir.” John replied calmly facing his fellow man before turning to face Earth once more. He wanted to be lost in his own thoughts, but it seemed that it was too much to ask for.

Lasky went on to talk about how beautiful earth was. As true as it was, John really didn't care. He was happy to go home sure, but he was alone. It wouldn't be the same. Not without her. Lasky continued to comment on how he always thought Earth as home even though he grew up on New Harmony. It took a special kind of commitment to do that, John thought. Then again, it took a special kind of commitment to be a soldier; to protect a world that you may never even know.

“I've lost people I care about, but never anything like you're going though.” Lasky suddenly said. There was genuine care in his voice, but John didn't care too much to actually respond to it.

“Our duty as soldiers is to protect humanity. Whatever the cost.” John said with a matter of fact tone. Lasky gave him a concerned look. Here was a man that was fighting to protect the people like him, but he didn't view himself as a human. He viewed himself as something different than a human. He viewed himself as a machine. Soldiers aren't machines. They are just people. Regular people with a cause.

“You say that like soldiers and humanity are two different things. Soldiers aren't machines. We're just people.” Lasky responded, making John completely rethink his ideas about soldiers. “I'll let you have the deck to yourself.” he then said and proceeded to walk away. There was a pause before John spoke again.

“She said that to me once. About being a machine.” John said to no one in particular. The silence and stillness of being alone filled the deck once again. Things were going to be different. It hurt him to know this as fact.

He knew that he would be outfitted with a new AI. He could come to terms with that. 

But no one could replace her.

No one could ever replace Cortana.


End file.
